Career School Seminar Program

The Career School Seminar Program (CSSP) curriculum is derived from and parallel to the resident Career Course curriculum and the goals are identical—to prepare Marine SNCOs to:

Serve as ethical leaders, educated in the obstacles that affect Marine cohesion and compliance with organizational values and ethics, who recognize the responsibility of their grade to mentor junior enlisted as well as junior officers.

Serve as professional warfighters, educated in the Marine Corps warfighting doctrine with an emphasis on preparing for war and the conduct of war, who are introduced to operational planning and possess knowledge on national military capabilities and the foundations of joint operations.

Serve as sound decision makers, educated in diverse decision making processes used to formulate and solve open-ended problems in complex environments in support of the commander's intent and organizational values.

Lessons

Lesson 1, Critical Thinking

Effective communicators express themselves in a clear and well-reasoned manner that is the product of rigorous and disciplined thought. The quality of communication is dependent upon the quality of the communicator's thought; consequently, the CSSP will approach reading, writing, and speaking assignments as functional applications of critical thinking: self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrected thinking. During this lesson, students will be introduced to the elements of reasoning, universal intellectual standards associated with critical thinking, and the domains of thinking. The overall purpose is to drive students to enthusiastically conduct critical analysis throughout the course.

Furthermore, military historian and theorist Martin Van Creveld contends that military leaders, in their search for certainty, must "distinguish between the relevant and irrelevant, the important and the unimportant, the reliable and the unreliable, the true and the false." Such discernment is the product of a disciplined mind. Only a practiced and disciplined thinker can achieve the "superior understanding" Napoleon called upon to balance intuitive judgment and rational calculation. It is superior understanding/critical thinking that enables the leader to balance deductive reasoning with inductive reasoning and "to cope with uncertainty through centralization and decentralization." Indeed, as the critical thinker develops their intellectual traits, they are able to avoid egocentrism and technocentrism and to combat uncertainty.

Lesson 2, Professional Military Ethics I

Human behavior is a complex and intricate area of study. It is affected by our perceptions of the world around us, our social environments, and our value systems. Our Corps is a reflection of the attitudes and behaviors exhibited by our Marines. By exploring our ethos and values, we can better understand the factors that drive our attitudes and behaviors.

Lesson 3, Professional Military Ethics II

A large body of evidence in social psychology supports the concept that situational power triumphs over individual power in given contexts. A full understanding of the dynamics of human behavior requires that we recognize the extent and limits of personal power, situational power, and systemic power. Changing or preventing undesirable behavior of individuals or groups requires an understanding of what strengths, virtues, and vulnerabilities they bring into a given situation. Then we must fully recognize the complexity of situational forces that exist in a given setting. Modifying them, or learning to avoid them, can have a greater impact on reducing undesirable individual reactions than remedial actions directed only at changing the people in the situation. While situational and systemic forces may lend to an individual's behavior, they do not excuse the person or absolve them from responsibility in engaging in immoral, illegal, or evil deeds.

Lesson 4, Effective Communication

Oral communication affords the speaker an immediate opportunity to influence an individual or group; however, the speaker must apply certain strategies to achieve the desired effect. This lesson will cover effective communication techniques to use while delivering a brief, and the types of rehearsals. Written communication can also influence an individual or an entire command. This lesson will also discuss the different types of staff action papers. Students will be introduced to the format to use when writing a position paper. Students will be assigned a leadership topic to write a position paper.

Lesson 5, Military Correspondence

Leaders must possess the ability to communicate effectively via written documents, letters, and reports in proper English and using standard naval letter format. This lesson will cover the types of military correspondence and their uses, applying the naval letter format, the categories of awards, and policy considerations for writing an award recommendation. Students will write a letter recommending a Marine for an award with enclosures for a summary of action and a proposed citation. The final letter should be coherent, grammatically correct, and in the proper naval letter format.

Lesson 6, Warfighting

To understand the Marine Corps' philosophy of warfighting, one must first understand the nature and theory of war as well as the tenets of maneuver warfare, the Marine Corps' philosophy of how we fight and win our nation's battles, and how we integrate these concepts into our leadership and decision-making, regardless of whether we're in a combat or garrison environment.

Lesson 7, Tactical Fundamentals

It is important for staff non-commissioned officers to have common understanding of tactics and the application of tactical fundamentals. This basic knowledge of tactics provides a point of departure for planning, provides a common vocabulary, and ensures clear understanding of the battlespace.

An operational order, more commonly known as a combat order, pertains to strategic, operational, or tactical operations and their service support. Leaders at all echelons use them, from team leader to
MAGTF commander. An operation order sets the "who, what, when, where, and why" of the commander's decision, along with enough of the "how" to ensure synchronization. The order can be issued orally or in writing. When written, it can be as small as a single page in length or as thick as a technical publication. Without orders, a unit has no direction; without direction, a unit cannot fight effectively. A decision, however promising, will fail if the leader cannot effectively communicate it.

This discussion period will help you understand how Marine Corps leaders plan, execute, and assess expeditionary operations.

Lesson 8, Tactical Planning

The Marine Corps doctrinal philosophy of maneuver warfare describes planning as an essential element of the broader field of command and control. The aim of command and control is to enhance the commander's ability to make sound and timely decisions. Effective decision-making requires both situational understanding to recognize the essence of a given problem and the creative ability to devise a practical solution. The planning process is designed to promote understanding among the commander, his staff, and subordinate commanders regarding the nature of a given problem and the options for solving it. There are six steps in the Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP) intended to inform the commander's decision-making, develop a plan of action, and communicate that plan to those executing the plan. There are several ongoing activities that are continuous throughout the entire process and provide constant feedback to the commander and support the planning effort. This lesson discusses the doctrinal underpinnings of the planning process, considerations to organize for planning, the inputs and outputs of each step of the process, and the ongoing activities within the staff that support the planning process.

Lesson 9, Command and Control

Without command and control, campaigns, battles, and organized engagements are impossible, and military units degenerate into mobs. The Marine Corps' view of command and control is based on our common understanding of the nature of war and on our warfighting philosophy as described in
MCDP 1, Warfighting.

MCDP 6 contains the Marine Corps' philosophy of command and control and theorizes how commanders can make decisions and execute plans and orders faster than an adversary. This doctrinal publication provides a conceptual framework for all Marines at all levels for the development and exercise of effective command and control in peace, in crisis, or in war. The purpose of this lesson is to begin a dialogue on the Marine Corps' command and control philosophy.

Lesson 10, Irregular Warfare

The objective of irregular warfare (IW) is to maintain or undermine the legitimacy of a political authority with the application of indirect approaches and nonconventional means to defeat an adversary by subversion, attrition, or exhaustion rather than by direct military confrontation. IW achieves its objectives by employing the full range of military and nonmilitary capabilities to gain asymmetric advantages that erode an adversary's power, influence, and will until he is either neutralized or destroyed. In the 21st century's complex operating environment, adaptive adversaries present irregular threats that seriously challenge a military-only response in what are essentially contests for influence and legitimacy. Irregular threats, including terrorists, insurgents, and criminal networks, are enmeshed in the population and are increasingly empowered by the use of communications, cyberspace, and technology to extend their reach regionally and globally.

Since the problem is not a purely military one, the approach to IW should not be purely military. IW is about winning a war of ideas and perception. The battles are fought among the people, and the outcomes are determined by the perceptions and support of the people. Success is achieved by using a comprehensive approach that applies all the instruments of national power, diplomatic, economic, informational, financial, law enforcement, intelligence, as well as military, to achieve victory by undermining an adversary's popular support, compelling him to quit, collapse, or disappear into irrelevance. This approach can be achieved only by intimate collaboration of all U.S. government agencies in campaign design, planning, and execution. Furthermore, this approach to IW must carefully consider the cultural environment of the operating area and leverage genuine partnerships with host-nation elements, coalition partners, international nongovernmental organizations, and private voluntary organizations.

Lesson 11, Expeditionary Operations

Expeditionary capability is the ability to promptly deploy combined arms forces worldwide into any operational environment and to operate effectively upon arrival. Expeditionary operations require the ability to deploy quickly with little notice, shape conditions in the operational area, and operate immediately on arrival. Uncertainty, austerity, and the need to match forces to available lift drive expeditionary capabilities. The initial operations in Afghanistan and Iraq were models of rapid, effective combat operations. Adversary forces were destroyed or dispersed rapidly with little friendly loss. However, these operations also demonstrate that neither the duration nor the character of military campaigns is readily predictable. Future conflicts will include incomplete planning information, rapid deployments with little or no notice, and sustained operations in austere theaters. Expeditionary warfare focuses on achieving decisive effects. It places a premium on promptly deploying combat power and constantly adapting to each operation's unique circumstances as they change.

This lesson examines Marine Corps doctrine for the conduct of military operations in an expeditionary environment. Expeditionary operations encompass the entire range of military operations, from humanitarian assistance to forcible entry in major operations. The defining characteristic of expeditionary operations is the projection of force into a foreign setting. The Marine Corps is valued as a highly cost-effective military option in a wide range of situations where versatility and adaptability are critical for success.

Lesson 12, Leadership Development I

Every Marine is responsible for developing those under their charge, leading by personal example. Leaders are responsible for taking advantage of all available training and resources necessary for developing their subordinates in areas of professional competence and Marine Corps values.

Critical to developing subordinate leaders is understanding how leadership skills and knowledge are learned and developed. During this class, students will be introduced to their responsibility of providing formal and informal feedback—teaching—when determining how to bring out the best in their Marines and advising their leaders, which essentially means that this lesson will develop leadership abilities. The overall purpose of this lesson is to present the students with an understanding of how leadership is learned, what their responsibilities are in shaping professional leadership growth in their Marines, and the methods for advising their leaders.

Lesson 13, Leadership Development II

Developing people to their highest potential is a basic leadership responsibility. During this class, students will be introduced to the development of a philosophy of leadership; the benefits of effective counseling and mentoring; the need for, preparation for, conducting of, and monitoring progress of counseling; and the qualities and skills of a mentor. Counseling and mentoring are leadership tools involving two-way communication between a leader and a Marine, or mentor and mentee, and are methods that can be insightful, useful, and motivating in assisting the junior Marine in achieving or maintaining the highest possible level of performance. The overall purpose of this class is to present students with an understanding of their philosophy of leadership, how to go about mentoring someone, what to look for in a mentor, and how counseling develops professional growth.

Lesson 14, Resiliency

As our nation's force-in-readiness, Marines are repeatedly called upon to perform tough and challenging missions around the world. Historically, frequent deployments to remote locations have been the norm for the Marine Corps. Marine Corps leadership has managed to maintain the resiliency of the men and women who can sustain such austere conditions while preserving our fighting strength. However, there is always the risk of combat and operational stress injuries amongst warriors who push themselves so hard to achieve what is asked of them. For that reason, it is imperative for Marine Corps leaders to recognize circumstances that place their Marines at risk for stress injuries and quickly take appropriate action so that care may be given.

Lesson 15, Role of the SNCO

Staff non-commissioned officers are the enlisted leaders of the Marine Corps. The ability to lead is not inherently bred into a Marine's character; it is a skill developed with experience. The goal of Marine Corps leadership is "to develop the leadership qualities of all Marines to enable them to assume progressively greater responsibilities to the Marine Corps and society." Primarily, you are tasked with supervising the training of your unit, but as
an NCO with administrative duties (SNCO), you are concurrently responsible for the Marines' personal and professional welfare. To lead effectively, you must know your Marines' character and values. Having mastered your occupational field, you will find yourself in the confidence of commissioned officers. Your advice and problem-solving experience will help them to make qualified decisions, enabling them to command the unit effectively as a whole. If you fail to execute your duties appropriately, you jeopardize the unit and the Marines assigned to you.

Schedules

MARADMIN 462/18, AY19 Class Dates for the Enlisted College Distance Education Seminar Programs, announces the AY19 class dates and course prerequisites for the Career School Seminar Program.

All students will be assigned an instructor and will attend the seminar at a specified location or asynchronously online. CSSP consists of a 15-week program, students meeting one night per week or one weekend per month. The following are CSSP course schedules for each schedule type. Schedules for individual seminars are provided by region.

Transcripts can be obtained via MarineNet on the My Certificates page. You can print an unofficial copy, or you can request that an official transcript be sent to an educational institution, employer, or command.